Gujarat Tourism Conclave

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SeminarsReport on Gujarat Tourism Conclave June 2010

Vibrant Gujarat 2011


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Disclaimer

This report has been prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers (P) Limited for Industrial Extension Bureau (iNDEXTb), Government of Gujarat.Contents of this report should not be copied or reproduced by any third party or otherwise quoted or referred to, in whole or in part, without the priorpermission of PricewaterhouseCoopers or iNDEXTb in writing. PricewaterhouseCoopers disclaims any responsibility for any loss or damagesuffered by any third party by taking reliance of this report. Furthermore, PricewaterhouseCoopers will not be bound to discuss, explain or reply toqueries raised by any agency other than the intended recipients of this report.

The information contained in this report is selective and is subject to updation, expansion, revision and amendment. It does not, and does notpurport to, contain all the information that a recipient may require. Further this is not an audit report and no reliance should be based on this reportfor the purposes of audit.

Each recipient must conduct its own analysis of the information contained in this document and is advised to carry out its own investigation into theproposed project, the legislative and regulatory regime which applies thereto and by all matters pertinent to the proposed project and to seek itsown professional advice on the legal, financial, regulatory and taxation consequences of entering into any agreement or arrangement relating to theproposed project.


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Table of Contents

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................. 3

2. Inaugural Plenary ........................................................................................................................................................ 3

2.1. Objective ............................................................................................................................................................... 32.2. List of Speakers .................................................................................................................................................... 32.3. Session details ...................................................................................................................................................... 4

3. Plenary I Presentation and Brainstorming on Gujarat Tourism The Way Forward ...................................... 7

3.1. Objective ............................................................................................................................................................... 73.2. List of speakers ..................................................................................................................................................... 83.3. .................................................................................................................................................................................... 83.4. Session details ...................................................................................................................................................... 8

4. Plenary II Health and Wellness Tourism Advantage Gujarat ......................................................................... 12

4.1. Objective ............................................................................................................................................................. 124.2. List of Speakers .................................................................................................................................................. 124.3. Session details .................................................................................................................................................... 12

5. Plenary III Civil Aviation in Gujarat Opportunities and Challenges .............................................................. 13

5.1. Objective ............................................................................................................................................................. 135.2. List of Speakers .................................................................................................................................................. 145.3. Session details .................................................................................................................................................... 14

6. Way Forward ............................................................................................................................................................. 19


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1. Introduction

A seminar on tourism in Gujarat Gujarat Tourism Conclave 2010 was organized by the Department ofTourism and Federation of Indian Chambers ofCommerce and Industry (FICCI) in Ahmedabad on24 th June 2010. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) wasthe Knowledge Partner. The seminar was attended bya large number of delegates including representativesof government departments, agencies involved intourism, representatives of domestic airlines, hotelindustry, hospitals, travel and tour operators andconsultants.

The seminar was relevant in the context of reformsand policy interventions being planned by thegovernment in the tourism sector. The objective of theseminar was to bring together government, privateplayers (domestic and international), researchers,academicians, and other stakeholders under fordiscussions on the opportunities in the sector in thestate of Gujarat and the key challenges in realizing these opportunities.

2. Inaugural Plenary

2.1. Objective

The objective of this plenary was to provide a brief background about the tourism sector in Gujarat. Thisprovided the backdrop and platform for deliberations in the three plenary sessions. The introductory remarks bythe speakers in this session formed the starting points for further discussions and deliberations during theseminar.

2.2. List of Speakers


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Motels/Cottages/Resorts Demand at Porbandar, Kutch, Champaner, Dwarka etc.

Star Hotels Valsad, Vapi, Rajkot, Saputara, Bhavnagar, Veraval/Somnath,Palitana, Kutch, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Champaner (Pavagadh),Surat, Jamnagar and Porbandar.

Media and Entertainment These could be film cities, entertainment parks, sports complex and soon.

Beach tourism Projects TCGL plans to develop 14 beaches across the state on PPP mode.

Other projects such as floating hotels/restaurants, sea parks etc. to bedeveloped.

Religious Tourism Great potential across Gujarat especially Dwarka, Ambaji, etc.

Logistics Airports and HelicopterServices

Airports to be developed on PPP, intra state airline on PPP.

Opportunity for Heli-Tourism.

Mrs. Jyotsana Suri briefly talked about the potential for tourismdevelopment in Gujarat. She said that the tourist spots in Gujarat aredensely located and cater to a diverse group of tourists including religious,adventure, spiritual and medical tourists. She said that there would be about100 tourist spots in each of the 26 districts of Gujarat which can be promoted

by the state government. She also talked about the future plans of the LalitSuri Group which is planning to open about 4-5 hotels spread acrossGujarat.

Mr. Sanjay Gupta briefly talked about the tourism sector in the state. He said that the sector in the state ispoised for a huge change. He also reiterated the reception and warmth that Gujarat offers to its tourists alongwith the numerous and diverse tourist assets that the state possesses.

Mr. Kamlesh Patel briefly talked about the budgetary allocation (2009-10) for the tourism sector. Rs. 2.5 crore is being spent to develop tourist centres in the state. Rs. 21 crore is being given as grant to the public sector undertakings in tourism sector of which about

Rs. 12 crore was for TCGL, Rs. 5 crore for development of new buildings of TCGL and Rs. 2.5 crore for

setting up of sound and light shows at various tourist centres in the state. Rs. 8.5 crore is being planned to be spent on advertising and publicity and Rs. 7.5 crore on fairs and festivals.

Mr. Patel highlighted the importance given to the tourism sector by the state government in terms offinancial assistance.


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3.2. List of speakersSpeaker Speaker Profile Topic

Mr. Tushar Pandey Executive Vice President and Country Head, Yes bank Furthering the growth trajectory ofGujarat with a special emphasis onHealth and Wellness Tourism

Mr. Vipul Mittra, IAS Secretary, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Government of Gujarat Brainstorming on Gujarat Tourism The Way Forward

Mr. Kamlesh Patel Chairman, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited

Mr. Anoop Shukla, IFS Managing Director, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited

Mr. Himmat Anand Co-Chairperson, FICCI Tourism Committee and Founder, Tree ofLife Resort and Spa

3.3. Session details

Mr. Tushar Pandey briefed the audience about the global tourismscenario, the Indian tourism scenario and current trends. He informedthe audience that the policy initiatives of the government, public privatepartnership, marketing and other support from the government are thekey drivers for the tourism industry in India. He said that the newthemes which are emerging in the tourism industry are:

Spiritual and well being tourism Heritage and cultural tourism Rural & agriculture tourism Adventure tourism Nature and eco tourism Business tourism

Talking about the global Health and Wellness industry, Mr. Pandey informed the audience that countries whichare actively promoting medical tourism are: Cuba, Costa Rica, Hungary, South Africa, Jordan, Israel, Turkey,Lithuania, India, Thailand and Malaysia. He said that currently the market size of the global medical tourismindustry stands at USD 300 million with an annual growth rate of 30%. Similarly the current size of the globalhealth tourism market is expected to be USD 40-60 billion with an annual growth rate of 20%.

Briefing on the medical tourism sector in India, he said that currently the industry is growing at 30% annually.Mr. Pandey informed the audience that India attracted 5 lakh foreign medical tourists in 2006 generatingrevenues of USD 350 million. He noted that Indias key strengths in the Health and Wellness tourism sector are:

Availability of world class facilities, Availability of large pool of doctors, nurses and medicos, Low cost and availability of wide variety of treatments and modern medicines Indigenous healthcare traditions like Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha.

Mr. Pandey also talked about the tourism sector in Gujarat including statistics about the number of domesticand international tourists visiting the state. He said that Gujarat as a tourism destination has significantuntapped potential and there is a need for integrated & strategic positioning of existing religious and heritage


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Brainstorming on Gujarat Tourism The Way Forward:

Mr. Himmat Anand commented that Gujarat does not have a unique brand identity in international tourismmarket. He said that Kerala is known for its backwaters and Rajasthan for its forts and palaces similarly Gujaratneeds a marketing campaign which focuses on one or two unique selling points.

Mr. Vipul Mittra, IAS responded by saying that Gujarats brand identity is its diversity.

Mr. Anand said that Rajasthan has 10.7 lakh international tourists and Gujarat about 3 lakh international touristsof which 1.7 lakh are NRIs. He said that all Indian states claim to have everything but Gujarat needs to identifyits core strengths and unique selling points. Mr. Anand asked the panel for suggestions on what areas Gujaratshould focus on.

Mr. Rohit Kohli reiterated the need for a unique brand identity and focused marketing.

Mr. Sarabjit Singh suggested that the Government of Gujarat should reconsider the prohibition policy.He also mentioned the demand-supply mismatch in the accommodation facilities in the state, need forhaving connected circuits and need for greater private sector involvement in the tourism sector.

Ms. Tejaswini suggested that Gujarat should venture into adventure and wild life tourism. Shesuggested that the dolphins on the coast of Kutch and the super luxury trips to the Kutch coast mighthave many takers. She supported Mr. Anand on the need for a unique identity of Gujarat tourismas she says that this is an era of specialization and promotion and branding might not help ifGujarat does not have a unique identity . She suggested that the Kutch festival and Pushkar can betaken to the next level by having homestays, sham-e-sharad, etc.

Mrs. Jyotsana Suri stressed on the need to focus on domestic tourists. She said that there isinfrastructure but focus of infrastructure should be on tourism. She said that archaeological tourism isimportant and has to be further developed in the state. She opined that in this context, sites likeDholavira are a goldmine and need to developed as key tourist destinations. She said that Dholaviramight become the face of Gujarat tourism and the Buddhist trails need to be explored. She agreed thatthe private sector needs to work along with the Government to develop tourism in the state.


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Mr. Mittra was of the view that it was not possible for development of a unique brand for Gujarat tourism heopined that it was not viable to promote only one brand, unless a state has only one brand. He said that

beaches can grow with adventure tourism, sand sculptures etc. There were other suggestions regarding world class marketing for Gujarat tourism, setting up of an

advisory council from industry and time bound action plan. The representatives of hotel industry saidthat usually it takes about 3-4 years in setting up a hotel and major portion of the time (around 6 monthsto one year) is taken in getting approvals from the Government.

They requested the Government to reduce this time and asked for relaxation of norms regardingprohibition.

There were also suggestions about the availability of quality manpower in the hospitality industry. Mr. Anand said that Gujarat needs to educate even the Indian tour operators on what Gujarat has to

offer regarding tourism.

In response, Mr. Mittra informed the audience that

the Government is planning 11 road shows in major cities to educate other states about what Gujarathas to offer in terms of tourism. For human resources development, he said that meetings with vice chancellors, hotel management

institutes, catering institutes are going to be set up by the Government. For faster clearances from the Government he said that a single window - Gujarat Tourism

Infrastructure Promotion Board is being planned to be setup with the honorable Chief Minister as thehead.

He said that Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) would enable the investors in fasterallocation of land.

He informed the audience that Vibrant Gujarat is the fastest single window to get clearances.

Mr. Anand suggested that the road shows should also be conducted in Gujarat as well to educate the domestictour operators in Gujarat.

Mrs. Jyotsana Suri talked about the idea of disinvesting the toran hotels (TCGL hotels) after sufficientdue diligence. Mr. Mittra said that privatization of tourism properties is in advanced stage.

The representative from Bloomberg TV asked about the status of development of sports related tourismin Gujarat. Mr. Mittra responded by saying that corporate investments are being made in a big way. Forexample, Transtadia is setting up a sports complex with an investment of Rs. 200 crore. He also saidthat tourism might be declared as an industry soon so that the benefits (subsidies, grants, concessions,etc.) that an industry in Gujarat enjoys are shared by the tourism sector as well.

There were other suggestions about the introduction of a luxury tourist train in Gujarat, which can alsowork as a marketing tool. There were suggestions about projecting Gandhi as the brand ambassador tolure international tourists to the state, leveraging the Incredible India brand and using the network ofGujarati diaspora to promote Gujarat tourism all over the world.


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4. Plenary II Health and Wellness Tourism Advantage Gujarat

4.1. Objective

The objective of this session was to understand the Health and Wellness tourism sector in Gujarat. In thissession, the current status of the sector, the potential for development, the strengths and opportunitiesavailable in Gujarat was discussed and deliberated upon.


Speaker Profile Topic

Mr. BhaskarSubramanian

Associate Director, PricewaterhouseCoopersPrivate Limited

Present status of the sector in the country andits prospects

Mr. Naresh Jadeja President, International Wellness and HealthcareTravel Association (IWHTA), USA

Gujarat: A medical tourism destination opportunities and constraints


Mr. Bhaskar Subramanian informed the audience that the market canbe divided into two segments: Health/Medical Tourism and WellnessTourism with the latter being less known but having a market size almostdouble that of the former.

Mr. Subramanian talked about initiatives and government interventions being done by competing countries. Hebriefly talked about the Indian healthcare industry mentioning that the industry size is about USD 38 billion(2008 figures) with the primary health segment having a share of 78%. Talking about the key trends in theindustry, he said that penetration of the health insurance market is 86% and health cities are evolving as a newconcept in healthcare in India. He then briefly talked about the Indian wellness industry including the keyplayers.

He mentioned the key drivers for international medical travel to India viz. non availability of treatments in native country, long waiting lists in the native country, availability of affordable & quality health care organizations in India, opportunity to combine wellness travel with vacation covering diverse tourist destinations, great reputation of Indian doctors and high success rates compared to other countries.

He mentioned that the government of India is taking several initiatives to promote medical and wellness tourismincluding extension of the Marketing Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme to include Medical Tourism in its


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purview, introduction of new category of Medical Visa for patients and their attendants and large scale publicityand promotion of Health and Wellness tourism.

Mr. Naresh Jadeja talked about the scenario in the US after presidentObamas healthcare reforms, which aims to provide health insurance toevery individual. He informed the audience that currently there are 50 millionun-insured and 25 million under-insured people in the US.

Talking about the revenue cycle of a hospital chain, he said that the revenue cycle depended on:

range of procedures offered in the hospital, number of hospitals operated by a chain, number of patients the hospital treats for a procedure, number of visits each patient makes to the hospital for a treatment, number of procedures they undergo at each visit, and price of each procedure

He said that the key constraints in developing medical tourism in Gujarat are: lack of marketing and promotionabout healthcare facilities, non-availability of quality support infrastructure, lack of a unified approach betweenthe hospitals, tour operators, government and other stakeholders and strong competition from other healthcaredestinations.

He said that the key opportunities for the sector in Gujarat are: presence of a big pool of NRG diaspora andavailability of good physical infrastructure (airports, railways, roads, etc.). He suggested the following long termstrategies for development of the sector in Gujarat:

establishing the need for international patients, establishing international standards and accredited hospital infrastructure, development of human resources to provide quality manpower for the healthcare industry, active marketing and promotion and partnering with well established international and national players.

5. Plenary III Civil Aviation in Gujarat Opportunities and Challenges

5.1. Objective

Civil aviation and tourism are two inter-dependent and inter-related sectors of the economy. Every tourist needsto undertake a journey to reach the destination. With the advent of private low cost airlines in the country, thedomestic and international travel by air has grown by leaps and bounds. This growth has directly helped inresurrecting the robust growth of the tourism sector in India.

The objective of this session was to understand the correlation between tourism and civil aviation sector,understand these sectors in India and Gujarat from a historical perspective, evaluate the current status andcome up with a roadmap and an action plan for the development of these sectors in Gujarat.


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Speaker Profile Topic

Capt. Ajay Chauhan(Retd.)

Director of Aviation, Government of Gujarat Gujarat Aviation Scenario

Mr. Hemant Bhattbhatt Senior Director, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu IndiaPrivate Limited

Furthering growth of aviation sector in Gujarat

Mr. S. C. Hota Jt. GM (ATM), SVP International Airport,Ahmedabad

Aviation in Gujarat Opportunities andChallenges


Mr. Ajay Chauhan briefly talked about the history of civil aviation sector in Gujarat. Hesaid that aviation activity started in 1973 in the state when aerial spraying on various cropslike sugar cane, cotton, ground-nut, tuvar, etc. was done by helicopters and fixed wingaircrafts to help the farmers. In the 1980s, cloud seeding operations were carried out byaircraft for making artificial rain whenever there was a short fall of rain. In the 1990s, civilaviation in the state was mainly carried out for VIP travel. Currently, the State Governmenthas its own Directorate and has setup a new company (GUJSAIL) to carry out theactivities of the Civil Aviation Department.

Talking about the aviation sector in Gujarat, Mr. Chauhan informed the audience that thereare currently

12 civil airports, 3 IAF airports and 2 private airports in the state.

The total cargo handled by these airports in the month of May 2010 was 2,324 tonnes. The state is connected

to 15 cities (national and international) and over 550 planes fly over Ahmedabad every day.


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The map below shows the location of the various airports present in the state of Gujarat.

Mr. Chauhan informed the audience that the Government is planning 10 more airfields at Palitana, Mandavi,Morbi, Rajkot, Ankleshwar, Parsoli, Rajpipala, Ambaji, Dwarka and Dholavira. He said that the StateGovernment intends to encourage private sector participation for development of aviation infrastructure at theexisting airports and airstrips and development of green field airports for schedule and non-schedule aircraftoperations.

Talking about the investments in the sector, Mr. Chauhan said that 17 MoUs have been signed over the pasttwo Vibrant Gujarat Summits with a total proposed investment of Rs 22,072 crore of which 11 MoUs areactively progressing towards investment grounding.

Mr. Chauhan briefly mentioned about the key tenets of the draft Civil Aviation Policy 2010. He said that thepolicy aims at development of airstrips, airfields, airports and helipads, promotion of regional airlines forintrastate/interstate connectivity, starting of helicopter services, provision of concessions to the partner,promotion of an aviation training institute, promotion of air cargo infrastructure, setting up of MRO facilities andsetting up of aviation SEZ.

He also talked about the newly incorporated company, GUJSAIL and said that the aim behind establishing thecompany was to help interested private players in aviation related development in the state. He said that withthe help of the Civil Aviation Policy, the task of this company would be to act as a single window clearancesystem for all private sector led initiatives in the civil aviation sector of Gujarat.

He said that the focus areas of the Directorate of Aviation for the year 2010 are:

Development of new airports at Palitana, Ambaji, Dwarka and Ankleshwar.


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Starting of regional airlines for inter-state services Introduction of helicopter services

Starting of Aviation Training Institute for helicopters in Gujarat To establish a Maintenance, Repair and Overall (MRO) Hub Development of an Air Cargo Complex Development of helipads at taluka level and next to expressways To make Deesa and Keshod airports operational Offer scholarships to students to take up aviation as career To commence aero-sports activities by encouraging enthusiasts to conduct adventure sports like gliding

and micro light aircraft flying at existing and potential sites.

Mr. Hemanth B. Bhattbhatt , briefly talked about how the aviation sector boosts thegrowth in tourism and economic activities in a region. He said that air transport is a keydriver of economic growth developed economies generally have high levels of airtransport activity. He said that travel & tourism is a high-multiplier-effect industry which

creates more jobs per million rupees of investment than any other sector of theeconomy. He talked about how tourism and aviation industry are interlinked and saidthat leisure and business tourism especially are highly dependent on aviation.

Talking about the aviation sector in Gujarat, he said that Gujarat has 13 airports and 3 airstrips. He gave detailsabout the domestic, international and total passenger air traffic in Gujarat. He said that a comparative analysisof the airports in India taking number of domestic and international passengers per lakh population as theparameter shows that the aviation sector in Gujarat is still in a nascent stage. He also conveyed that airportconnectivity to major tourist destinations in Gujarat needs to be improved. He informed the audience that about77% of the total tourists (domestic and international) are Gujaratis and hence it would be a good idea to startregional airlines.

He said that the future of the sector looks bright with investments such as Airbus, Boeing and the Governmentof Singapore eyeing Gujarat to set up their maintenance, repair and overhauling (MRO) facilities and GujaratVittal Innovation City (GVIC) planning to build aerospace and avionics sub-conclave in their 2,500-acre SEZ.He said that major growth opportunities are air connectivity to tourism hubs, intra-state/regional air connectivityand aero sports for adventure tourism. Talking about the specific advantages that Gujarat offers, he said that:

South Gujarat is about only 10 minutes flying time from Mumbai The state has the highest number of airports in the country Gujarat is industrially developed state with high economic growth rate Gujarat has a rich cultural & religious heritage Presence of diverse tourist spots spread across the state

He listed the initiatives taken by the state government for the development of the sector as:

Drafting a state level aviation policy Setting up of Gujarat State Aviation Company (GUJSAIL) Creation of infrastructure in aviation such as airports, air strips, aviation training institution,

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO), regional air lines, cargo complex and meteorologicalfacilities

Promotion of religious tourism including short-listing of Dwarka, Palitana, Ambaji and Morbi for airconnectivity


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Providing air connectivity within the state by roping in two private airlines, Luan Airways and Ventura, tobegin operations between important towns daily 8 flights to connect Bhuj, Rajkot and Jamnagar to

Ahmedabad and Surat.Mr. Bhattbhatt listed the following areas where the state government needs to take more initiatives for thedevelopment of civil aviation sector in Gujarat:

Airport and airport related infrastructure development Regional airlines MRO, manufacturing & SEZ Human resource development Equity participation and privatization Assistance in land procurement Financial assistance to private players Periodic certification of the state Government air fleet

Mr. S. C. Hota , talked about the aviation sector in Gujarat and said that Gujaratpossesses one of the largest networks of airports and airfields in the country. It has 11airports (including one international airport) under the operational jurisdiction of theAirports Authority of India (AAI). He said that apart from the AAI airports, there arethree airstrips under State Government jurisdiction located at Mehsana, Amreli, andMandvi. He said that the goals for the sector in the state should be to:

Ensure availability of quality airport infrastructure and air connectivity to passengers in the state. Trigger development through the high visibility greenfield international airport project. Explore opportunities in non passenger aviation segments such as maintenance, repair and overhaul of

aircraft, air cargo, regional hub of airlines, air taxi services, etc. Encourage manpower development and skill building in aviation sector by encouraging flight schools

and aviation academies at not-in-use air fields.

Talking about the trends in civil aviation in India, he said that the number of airlines including low cost carriershave increased, high fuel costs, taxes and user charges are leading to huge margin pressures on airlines,initiating a trend of consolidation through mergers and acquisitions of airlines, airport infrastructure hasattracted private investment through the PPP route at four international airports (Delhi, Mumbai, BangaloreGreenfield and Hyderabad Greenfield airports) and larger private sector role in airport infrastructure andmanagement has led the Central Government to introduce an Airport Economic Regulatory Authority(AERA)Bill to regulate private airport and airline operators market.

He said that the following are the opportunities for private participation in the sector in Gujarat:

Maintainence, Repair and Overhaul (MRO): The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has predicted that India has the potential to service a

fleet of 1,000 commercial planes and 500 general aviation aircraft by 2020, including replacement. Another factor that could drive MRO business in India is availability of low cost manpower. The MRO facilities will foster creation of ancillary and associated industries and services like

training institutes, component repair and testing of avionics equipment, electrical and electronicsystem components, hydro mechanical and pneumatic system components repair of compositestructures, passenger seat repair, cabin panel repair, etc.


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Cargo:

Gujarats strength in chemical, textiles and horticulture can be leveraged by augmenting air cargoexport from the state. Gujarat also has a potential in perishable goods due to considerable emphasis on the development

of horticultural crops. The major fruits crops grown in Gujarat are banana, mango, citrus and chikoo. South Gujarat region is leading producer of flowers and fruits and central Gujarat region is leading

producer of milk and flowers.

Small Airport Development: Small airports would be required at Ankleshwar and Mundra to support thelocal industrial, commercial and economic activities. Similarly small airports at Mandvi, Dwarka andAmbaji would be of immnese help to the large number of tourists visiting these places.

Regional Network: Need for connectivity between the airports in the state and with airports of the otherstates to foster economic development and industrial activity.

Human Resources for the Aviation Industry: An Aeronautical University and Flying School can beconsidered to cater for quality and trained personnel requirement for aviation.

Need for another International Airport: The capacity of the existing airport may get much before 2020.The proposed new international airport will be coming up near Dholera Special Investment Region(SIR).

Mr. Hota said that the key challenges for the sector are high fares, operating costs and the global meltdown arehampering the growth, security, law and order issues and long gestation periods of the projects.


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6. Way Forward

Some of the key suggestions that emerged out of the discussions during the seminar are presented below:

6.1. Tourism sector in Gujarat

Need for focused marketing : A strong need for key product identification and unique selling points

about tourist destinations in Gujarat was widely discussed. After the key product identification, a focused

and sustained marketing campaign was suggested by a large number of participants to establish a unique

brand identity for Gujarat tourism in the national and international tourism markets.

Reconsidering the prohibition policy : It was widely discussed that norms relating to prohibition be

relaxed by the government for the growth of the tourism sector in the state.

Human resource development : Availability of trained and quality manpower to meet the requirements

of domestic and international tourists was identified as a key constraint for the development of the tourism

sector in the state. Setting up of hotel management institutes, catering technology institutes, skill

development of tour operators including language skills, communication skills, knowledge of foreign

languages, etc. can be considered by the Government.

Improvement in support infrastructure especially accommodation facilities : Many participants

highlighted the shortage of quality accommodation facilities at key tourist destinations in Gujarat.

Incentives can be provided for the hotel industry for setting up establishments at important tourist

destinations and faster clearance mechanisms can be set up to reduce the delay in setting up hotels.

6.2. Health and Wellness Tourism sector in Gujarat

Marketing and packaging : A strong need for identification of key medical services (core strengths of

hospitals in Gujarat) was identified as a key constraint. These services then need to be adequately

marketed and packaged to the target customers and countries.

Logistics : There is a strong need for improvement of air and rail connectivity especially to the target

states and countries and associated augmentation in the services offered to the patients (special railway

car for patients, special attention for patients traveling by air).

Need for development of accreditation system for hospitals and hotels : To increase the level of

trust that medical tourists place upon the medical tourism industry in Gujarat, hotels, spas, resorts,

hospitals, diagnostic centres and other stakeholders need to seek internationally accepted accreditation

systems.

Clear policy for Health and Wellness tourism : There needs to be a clear policy and specific

guidelines at the national/state level for international tourists seeking treatment in India/Gujarat.


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Gujarat Tourism Conclave

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